Camboida: Initial Thoughts

God has brought us safely to Cambodia.  We have now been in country three days, and are beginning to get a glimpse into the Cambodian language and culture. We have spent most of these days so far becoming acclimated to the heat, and getting our feet under us to navigate the city and the potential projects.

The first thing we noticed as we got off the plane in Phnom Penh was the heat. The country is generally above 90 degrees F with an incredibly high humidity. The script has a lot of minute intricacies and the language is nothing like any language I have ever heard previously. After three days of hearing the language being spoken around us, we are starting to pick out a few phrases and recognize cultural gestures and actions.  We are no experts on Cambodian culture, but we are learning quickly.

Yesterday was our first look at the school we are partnering with. The church meets in the school building, and we were able to walk around the grounds for a little while and see what engineering project opportunities there were. This trip is specifically for assessment, so we are not going to try to tackle a large project during the remaining three weeks. However, we do want to scope out the needs and resources of the area, to see what projects would be most beneficial and feasible for the school we are working with. The children at the school are so great: energetic, outgoing, and so excited for anything we are doing.

Over the remaining weeks, we will be working to produce detailed descriptions of what currently exists at the school and in the local markets as resources for potential projects.  The cities have many resources, such as machine shops, welders, and lots of raw materials.

Please pray that we would have discernment about which projects to start and which would be most helpful to the school. A need does not necessitate a call, yet it is difficult to not run to solve every need we see.We need wisdom as we seek to follow the work that God has laid out for us, rather than simply chasing each project that interests us. Pray also for continued health of the team. We have been blessed so far with minimal health effects from heat and country shock. Pray also that we would be able to glorify God in whatever situation we are placed in. That is our primary purpose in this trip, and must remain in our focus.


Thank you so much for your prayers and support.  I will do my best to keep you updated on our activities, though the days have been quite full. God is doing great things here.  We are simply doing our best to not get in the way.

Summer 2012: The next chapter

This summer, God has called me to travel to Cambodia to minister to the children of that nation and support the pastors and teachers already there. Six other students, our faculty mentor, and I will serve for the month of June to support the work of our great friend and brother Sang Kil Choi. Pastor Choi gave us hospitality and encouragement in our travels to Mongolia last summer and is now serving the Lord in Cambodia by working with the orphans of that country.

Because of atrocities of the Khmer Rouge and the Vietnam War, more than half of the population of Cambodia is under the age of 22. Children have been left without parents and are often left to beg or work in dangerous conditions. Pastor Choi's work is to feed and educate those children who have been shunned by the largely Buddhist culture.

Over 100 children are educated and fed at the orphanage where we will be working. The limited sanitation resources and many remnants of war-time hazards, including un-exploded mines and bombs, make life difficult for the children attending classes. As a group of engineers, our team seems to be specially equipped to help solve these practical challenges facing this orphanage.

After much prayer, I believe that my involvement with the trip is exactly in line with the larger vision God has given for my life: to use engineering to support His people and spread His word. After working in Mongolia, I was asked to be the student leader for this trip. God will use this ministry as a time to continue to mold me into the servant He wishes me to be.

Please pray that our team will be able to work effectively in this new and very different culture. Pray for wisdom to see opportunities that present themselves while in country. Pray that we would be willing to set aside our own hopes or plans in favor of what God is revealing.

Thank you for your prayers and support.
David Wright

Trip Summary

The trip is over. God brought the whole team back safely from Mongolia.

While planning the trip and traveling to Mongolia, we had no direction from God about the nature of the work we were to be doing there. Because we were remaining flexible about our role, God was able to give the whole team valuable opportunities. As a team, we were able to see our work centered in three areas: encouraging Timothy and his family, learning the culture, characters, needs, and opportunities unique to Mongolia, and catalyzing the work Timothy wishes to start in the city of Darkhan. God was able to line up contacts, events, and circumstances which advanced these three areas of work during the trip.

Encouraging Timothy. As a group of American, english-speaking Christians, having time to fellowship together encouraged Timothy and his family. We were able to join them in prayer, discussion, and physical labor, and play. This fellowship we were able to share was valuable to both Timothy’s family and our team. For example, we were able to give Timothy, in his words, “vocational therapy”, the opportunity to do stonework. This work was very relaxing and helped Timothy think through many aspects of the ministry.

Learning culture. We set out to go into Mongolia with open eyes and blank notebooks, seeking to learn of the needs and opportunities in that nation. We had the opportunity of briefly visiting the countryside and seeing a little of the nomadic lifestyle. We explored markets, biked and walked through the city, ate and talked with the neighbors, met business owners, and developed relationships with some of the local children. All these interactions provided more linguistic and cultural context for us to remember for future trips and plans. Through talking with various people, we learned about the 75% unemployment rate among men, the cultural apathy toward work and property, and the struggles as Mongolia strives to grow more capitalistic from its socialist heritage. Hearing the stories of these people is a huge part of why we came.

Catalyzing the work. As a group of college students, we were eager to dive into some sort of work. This enthusiasm lead to the starting of an urban gardening project Timothy had been wishing to start, as well as lead to a variety of meetings outside of Timothy’s normal sphere of contact. We were able to bring the activation energy to Timothy’s vision for Darkhan. We met with several people who had worked in Christian programs with street children, doing ministry very similar to the work Timothy wishes to begin. One especially powerful meeting was with seven former street boys, who were mentored by a prior ministry, and are now strong Christian men. These seven men are very interested in helping with the work which Timothy wishes to do with the boys now living in basements and on the streets of Darkhan. One of these seven, Heggii, worked with us for the whole trip as a translator and local helper. My friendship with him is something I look forward to cultivating in the coming years.

God was able to provide the meetings and opportunities to come away from this trip with a solid base of experiential knowledge about the needs of Mongolia, as well as opportunities for ministry and work there. He provided safety and relative good health for the whole team. We are now seeking what should be done with this trips information. There are several potential engineering projects which could be done in Mongolia, as well as many other ministries. We are seeking God about the nature of a possible next trip. I am praying for the opportunity to return to Mongolia soon. God has provided every step along the path for this trip, and he will surely continue to do so.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support through this. It is wonderful to have such a large team on this trip, even if only four were physically traveling. I will do my best to keep you informed about the work that is being done in Mongolia by Timothy. Thank you.

In Christ,

David

Blogging fail...

This didn't quite go according to plan.  You see, the internet cafes in Mongolia are not conducive to writing, especially for unpacking the quite dense events of this month.  I hope to post stories on here as they are remembered in the coming days and weeks.

Currently, I am sitting in the Inchon aiport, Seoul Korea. The time warp of this past month is nearly over. These experiences are hard to recall, they come so close on each other. 

Sorry for the blog silence this month! With a reliable internet connection and a little time to reflect, I expect more stories to come soon.

Ullanbattaar, Darkhan

Well, the adventuring toward Mongolia has come to a close for now.  We made it!

We were able to meet up with Timothy easily in the airport at Ullanbattaar, the capital of Mongolia.We stayed in Ullanbattaar for another day, visiting the local markets and seeing what was avalible for future reference.  After a long day of begining to get acclimated to the food and culture, we set out for Darkhan by bus today. 

Darkhan is a medium sized town, mostly built up during the Soviet control.  We have an apartment in one of the many Soviet-style buildings.  The opportunites here are very exciting. 

Please pray that God now reveals to us the purpose for our being in Mongolia.  At dinner we all looked at each other and said, "We made it!  ...now what?"  There is so much need here, but there is no clear leading at this point about which project or relationship to follow in Darkhan.  Pray that God now makes it clear why we came and how we can serve best. 

That is all I have for now.  There are lots of great stories to tell, but I am writing them all down to do them justice when I get back. 'Till next time, then.

David

Seoul

In the process of buying tickets for is trip, God lead us to stay in Seoul for a day before heading to Mongolia. The time here in Seoul has been a great way to connect with pastors and leaders in faith, as well as let our bodies adjust to the 13 hour time zone difference.

The idea of "adventuring towards" was put to the test last night, when, after two crazy days in Seoul, our plane was delayed for 22 hours. So here we are, in Korea for another day. God has been coordinating so many meetings with various people.

These days in Seoul have been wonderful, and I now love the Korean culture, but I look forward to setting eyes on Mongolia soon.

A Little About Mongolia

The primary religions of Mongolia have been Shamanism and Buddhism. Shamanism is the practice of worship of ancestors, often including sacrifices to appease spirits who live in different regions.

The spiritual climate of Mongolia has been greatly shaped by the Soviet Union's influence.  Mongolia aligned itself with the Soviet Union in 1924.  Through the following years, all religious influences were destroyed, including the killing of thousands of Shaman priests and monks and the destruction of hundreds of temples. The cultural suppression of religion began to subside in the early '90s, when Mongolia adopted a capitalist economy.

Because of its history of Buddhism and Shamanism, followed by over 50 years of atheism, Mongolian culture is searching for truth.  The void of religion from which Mongolia is emerging provides for many opportunities to present truth to the Mongolian people. However, darkness has reigned for many years and still maintains a strong grip on the culture.

So, that is a little about the spiritual state of the country.  Add any other info you have in comments!